MOBILISE COST Action: “Mobilising Data, Policies and Experts in Scientific Collections”, in cooperation with GBIF https://www.gbif.org, CETAF-DEST http://taxonomytraining.eu/ and DISSCo https://dissco.eu/, organises its second Training School (TS) in “Digitisation and data management challenges in small collections”.
This hands-on and interactive training initiative will give the opportunity to Natural History Institutions holding small collections to get informed and exercised on the digitisation and management of their biological and geological collections in order to be able to develop their own Institutional Digitisation Strategy & Plan.
The two-days TS will be held in Warsaw, Poland on 13th and 14th of February 2020, hosted by the University of Warsaw. Deadline for applications is the 1st of December 2019. Applicants need to register in this link https://form.jotformeu.com/93101915980356 and upload, in the same link, a short CV of one page. Selected trainees will be duly informed individually. They will receive a COST Trainee Grant for their stay and travel costs.
COST
COST is an intergovernmental framework for European Cooperation in Science and Technology established to initiate networking and coordination of nationally funded research activities on a European level. It was established in 1971 by 19 member countries and currently includes 35 member countries across Europe, and Israel as a cooperating state. It facilitates bringing scientists together under light strategic guidance based on networks, called COST Actions, centred on research projects in fields that are of interest both to COST countries and cooperating countries.
OVERVIEW AND TIME SCHEDULE
The Training School (TS) “Digitisation and data management challenges in small collections” will target the following basic but important step of the digitisation process of biological and geological collections:
The data quality issue, for ensuring the maximum quality when digitising taxonomic, geographical, collection and descriptive data such as specimens and materials, literature data, field work notes, occurrence data, remote sensing data, etc. The data cleaning in order to further improve the quality of data and make them “fit-for-use” by defining and determining error types, search and identify error instances, correct the errors, document error instances and error types and modify data entry procedures to reduce future errors. The data visualisation focusing in applying visualisation techniques in clean data.
The TS will be a hands-on experience, since, according to its schedule, most of the time is dedicated to exercises on the above topics while group work will ensure and motivate interaction between trainees and trainers and foster lively discussions. Moreover, trainees will have the possibility to bring sample(s) of their institutional biodiversity and geodiversity digital database and exercise on them.
WHO CAN APPLY
The Training School “Digitisation and data management challenges in small collections” is addressed to everyone who is engaged in biological and geological collections and their data, such as Curators and Collections’ managers, Directors/Senior managers, Collections’ Digitization managers/officers, Scientists on bio- or geo informatics, Early Career Investigators (individuals who are within a time span of up to 8 years from the date they obtained their PhD/doctorate in full-time equivalent), Students (Post graduates, MSc, PhD), Technicians of collections. They must be engaged in an official research programme, or employed by, or affiliated to, an institution, organisation or legal entity, which has within its remit a clear association with performing research.
According to COST Vademecum ( https://www.cost.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/20180501-Vademecum2.pdf ) trainees who are eligible to be reimbursed are:
- Trainees from COST Full Members / COST Cooperating Member.
- Trainees from Approved NNC Institutions.
- Trainees from Approved European RTD Organisations.
Trainees not eligible to be reimbursed are:
- Trainees from COST Partner Members.
- Trainees from Approved IPC Institutions.
- Trainees from Approved IO, EU Commission, Bodies, Offices and Agencies.
- Other Trainees not specifically mentioned as being eligible.
APPLICATION DEADLINE AND GRANTS
Application deadline for the Training School is the 1st of December 2019. Applicants need to register in the link https://form.jotformeu.com/93101915980356 and upload, in the same link, a short CV of one page. The Training School is limited to 30 trainees. No fees apply to the Training School.
Successful applicants will be notified by 15 December 2019 and will receive a fixed COST Grant (Trainee Grant) amounting to 540 euros, after the implementation of the Training School. Trainee Grants do not necessarily cover all expenses related to attending the Training School. The Trainee Grant is a contribution to the overall travel, accommodation and meal expenses of the grantee. The amount allocated for accommodation and meal expenses cannot exceed 160 euros/day.
Each successful applicant, immediately after 15 December 2019, must register for an e-COST profile at https://e-services.cost.eu – and must add his/her bank details to his/her e-COST profile in order to receive, afterwards, his/her e-COST invitation to attend the Training School.
COST policies on gender balance, involvement of Early Career Investigators, and geographical inclusiveness will be followed.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this TS, trainees will have the knowledge, skills and competences in order to:
- Ensure the maximum quality when digitising taxonomic, geographical, collection and descriptive data
- Improve the quality of data
- Define and determine error types
- Search and identify error instances
- Correct the errors
- Document error instances and error types
- Modify data entry procedures to reduce future errors
- Visualise data entries
CERTIFICATE
At the end of the TS, trainees will obtain the MOBILISE COST Action Certificate with ECVET (European Credit system for Vocational Education and Training) points.
LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS
In order to follow the TS, trainees need a CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) B1 level of English, as the formal language of the TS is English.
TECHNOLOGY AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS
Trainees are required to bring their own laptops. They are also recommended to bring sample(s) of their institutional biodiversity and geodiversity digital database in order to be exercised on them.
PROGRAMME
MOBILISE COST Action 17106 Training School: “Digitisation and data management challenges in small collections” Warsaw, Poland, 13-14 February 2020 |
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Venue: University of Warsaw, Fac. Biology, Dept. of Ecology |
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Day 1 13/02/2020
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SESSION A |
8:30 – 9:00 |
WELCOME, INTRODUCTION, GROUPS’ FORMATION Catherina Voreadou, Iasmi Stathi |
9:00 – 10:00 |
DEVELOPING INSTITUTIONAL DIGITISATION STRATEGY & PLANS – ROLE PLAY Patricia Mergen, Catherina Voreadou, Iasmi Stathi, Kaloust Paragamian |
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10:00 – 10:40 |
DATA QUALITY & DATA CLEANING Dimitri Brosens |
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10:40 – 11:10 |
Coffee |
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SESSION B
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11:10 – 11:30 |
CLEAN AND TIDY DATA IN A SPREADSHEET Dimitri Brosens |
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11:30 – 11:50 |
OPEN REFINE Heimo Rainer |
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11:50 – 13:30 |
EXERCISE ON DATA CLEANING WITH OPEN REFINE Dimitri Brosens, Patricia Mergen, Heimo Rainer, Piotr Tykarski, Larissa Smirnova |
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13:30 – 14:30 |
Lunch |
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SESSION C |
14:30 – 15:30 |
EXERCISE ON DATA CLEANING WITH OPEN REFINE Dimitri Brosens, Patricia Mergen, Heimo Rainer, Piotr Tykarski, Larissa Smirnova |
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15:30 – 16:00 |
Coffee |
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SESSION D |
16:00 – 17:00 |
EXERCISE ON DATA CLEANING WITH OPEN REFINE Dimitri Brosens, Patricia Mergen, Heimo Rainer, Piotr Tykarski, Larissa Smirnova |
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Day 2 14/02/2020
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SESSION A |
8:30 – 8:50 |
DATA VISUALISATION – QGIS Patricia Mergen |
8:50 – 10:30 |
EXERCISE ON QGIS Dimitri Brosens, Patricia Mergen, Heimo Rainer, Piotr Tykarski, Larissa Smirnova |
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10:30 – 11:00 |
Coffee |
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SESSION B |
11:00 – 13:00 |
EXERCISE ON QGIS Dimitri Brosens, Patricia Mergen, Heimo Rainer, Piotr Tykarski, Larissa Smirnova |
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13:00 – 13:30 |
OTHER TOOLS ON DATA CLEANING Piotr Tykarski, Dimitri Brosens |
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13:30 – 14:30 |
Lunch |
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SESSION C |
14:30 – 15:00 |
DIGITISATION STRATEGY & PLANS-EXAMPLES, Q&A, ISSUES SOLVING Patricia Mergen |
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15:00 – 15:30 |
FINAL DISCUSSION, EVALUATION, CERTIFICATES |
LOGISTICS
Venue
The Training school (13-14 February 2020) will be held in the premises of the University of Warsaw, Poland.
Transport and accommodation
More details on transport and accommodation will be announced to all successful applicants at the 15th of December 2019.